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Donating Food

Help us share your surplus food with the community!

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Community Solidarity shares millions of pounds of food with tens of thousands of hungry people each year. We are able to do so in large part thanks to local supportive business owners, enthusiastic employees, farmers and some pretty incredible individuals.

Community Solidarity, Inc. depends on community involvement. That's why it's so important for you to get involved.

If you work at a grocery store or food establishment you probably already know that a lot of good food gets thrown out every day - in fact, the amount of food that is wasted in the United States alone is enough to feed the entire world. Help us by prevent some of that waste and together we can start feeding our community today! It's very easy to share your unused food with Community Solidarity!

Arranging Pickups - our food rescue mission is here 24/7 to work with you

Hunger is a huge problem and your donations of food will help alleviate the pain of those affected. Community Solidarity collects food from restaurants, health food stores, farmers markets, farms, community farm shares, bakeries, wholesale outlets, factories and any other locations willing to share food and other necessities. We can arrange individual donation pick-ups at your convenience or reoccurring pick-ups on a schedule of your choosing; weekly, bi-weekly, on-call, etc...

If you've got a couple bags, or boxes, or even a truck of food that you want to share, call (631.223.4370) or email us and we'll arrange for our volunteers to collect it. There's no amount that's too small or large for us to handle and emergency pickups can usually be arranged within a few hours.

Over 182,000 Long Islanders will face hunger tonight. Ending this problem starts with your help.

Foods We Accept -The types of food we collect and distribute.

Community Solidarity will accept any packaged food donations as long as they are vegetarian or any prepared foods that are vegan (no animal products). We'll also accept foods that have recently past their "sell by dates" and foods that have cosmetic blemishes. Oftentimes food stores will toss out these items because they don't meet their business' standards for sale. These products are usually perfectly healthy and Community Solidarity is happy to accept them.

If we do find that something shared with us is not fit for consumption we do not toss it out. All organic wastes from our Food Shares are composted for local community gardening efforts. Essentially, what we can't use will become new food for the community!

We also focus on sharing healthier organic foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products. In many communities on Long Island food segregation is a huge problem. In these areas known as food deserts, a large portion of Long Islanders only have access to stores that sell junk foods - foods that are typically filled with chemicals and preservatives. Our goal is to collect and share healthier items to offset the damage caused by these areas.

Resources for Businesses: - Answers to some basic questions we get from businesses.

Can I get a tax write-off?

Community Solidarity provides tax write-offs for businesses that regularly share large amounts of food (once or more a week). If you'd like to learn more about this process please contact us here.

Is there any kind of liability for my business?

No, there are numerous federal and state laws that protect you and your business when you are sharing food. This includes the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (P. L. 104-210) which protects donors from civil liability when sharing food in good faith.

How easy is this process?

Very, our volunteers are extremely considerate of your needs. We can arrange donation pickups in a timely and efficient manner without conflicting with your normal operations. There's also our 24/7 hotline (631.223.4370) that makes us available for any of your immediate requests.

In addition, we have experienced consultants who can help advise your business on this process. Particularly with finding the easiest ways to collect, store and share good food with your community.

How large is the Community Solidarity food distribution capacity?

Community Solidarity is a dedicated network of volunteers who manage hundreds of pickups, amounting to the transportation, delegation, and distribution of tens of thousands of pounds of materials each week.

Each year we help share millions of pounds of food across our numerous distribution sites. This is an area spanning over one hundred miles between NYC and eastern Long Island.

In addition:

We are also capable of arranging out-of-state pickups.

There is also no minimum or maximum amount of food required by us to arrange a pickup.

There is also no amount of food, in terms of volume or weight, which we would be unable to transport.

Resources for Employees: - I'm an employee at a food store/ restaurant/ farm and I see a lot of food being thrown out, what can I do?

Suggest to the business owner or manager that Community Solidarity can share this food with the community. We can provide interested supporters with information about our organization and answer to any of their/your questions. Just call (631.223.4370) or email us at info[at]communitysolidarity[dot]org.

You can also tell your manager/boss that customers are more likely to spend their money at stores supporting the community and that, in the long run, it's better for business!

Resources for Gardeners: - Sharing extra produce from your garden.

If you have extra produce in your garden that you'd like to share please consider bringing it down to any of our food share locations. We can also arrange a pickup at a location of your convenience; just call 631.223.4370 or email us at info[at]communitysolidarity[dot]org.

In addition, if you have friends or neighbors who grow their own fruits and vegetables please consider spreading the word about our food shares. Let them know how they could help out by sharing their extra food!